How do you calculate formal charge of CO?

1 Answer
Aug 14, 2016

The formal charge of carbon monoxide gas is #"ZERO"#.

Explanation:

In some representations, we depict charge separation in the carbon monoxide molecule: #""^(-):C-=O^+#, and of course, here, the formal charge of the #"molecule"# is still zero. I tend to like this representation because it suggests that carbon monoxide binds thru the carbon nucleus, which is what is typically observed.